COUNCILLORS want all statutory meetings to be recorded and live-streamed going forward, not just the full meeting of Limerick City and County Council, as first proposed by Mayor John Moran.
During the second attempt at the full local authority meeting for March, which had to be abandoned on March 30 due to emotional outbursts, further concerns were raised this past Monday about the recording of Council meetings.
Mayor Moran proposed at the March meeting that all full Council meetings be live-streamed and recorded in full. He also called for recordings to be made publicly available on the Council’s official website no later than two business days following the meeting.
This week, an amendment from Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Collins, seconded by Cllr Bridie Collins (FF), sought an “all or nothing” approach in a call for all statutory meetings to be recorded in the interest of transparency.
Cllr Collins explained at the opening of this Monday’s meeting that the executive does not yet have a costing on recording district meetings as part of this move.
“This is disappointing because to decide on this wholly, we have to have a proper value on everything. What happens if we get a costing on the districts in two months’ time and we can’t afford it? Then we’ve missed the boat,” Cllr Collins suggested.
Until the Council executive provide a full costing for streaming and recording public meetings, and figure out who is going to pay the bill, Cllr Collins called for plan to be paused.
“In the interest of transparency, I’d call on the Mayor to see his way to have everything in the public domain. The district meetings are of the upmost importance, because the work we do is very important,” he said.
Mayor Moran said his proposal to record full meetings has no cost issues associated and called for a vote to be taken in the chamber. He told Council members he was happy for discussions to continue around district costings, but not at the expense of delaying the recording of the full Council meetings.
“Mayor, could you see your way to cooperating with us until we get the full information and costings? We’re cooperating with you and we’re asking for you to cooperate with us,” Cllr Collins implored.
Mayor Moran responded: “If we actually have the first motion and we start recording these meetings, that allows us to do the public procurement and we know what the cost is for sure. I’m saying the easiest way to introduce this is to bring it in for the full meeting.”
Fine Gael councillor John Sheahan said councillors received confirmation of their qualified privilege (a protection which can aid as a legal defence against defamation claims) prior to this week’s meeting and deemed it to be as good as a “lighthouse in a bog-hole”.
“I’m not happy to sit here to record meetings that could be recorded, archived, and edited, and sent out to the general public in different formats. I’m totally supportive of livestreaming the meeting as it is going on, but I would ask that our livestreaming not be recorded because I will have no defamation, liable, or slander imposed on me,” Cllr Sheahan commented.
“In the heat of battle, and we’ve had enough it inside here now, things can be said and people can do things that they can regret within the second that they do it. That will not be good enough in the future if that recording is available for somebody to take them to the steps of the court.”
Mayor Moran explained that something said in the chamber does not become defamation or dangerous to the person that says it just because there’s a recording of the matter. He pointed out to Cllr Sheahan that, instead, it actually becomes dangerous because it was said in public at all.
“There’s no difference in the legal position whether or not the meeting is recorded,” the Mayor said.
According to Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler, the most frustrating part of this agenda item, despite agreement from the chamber, was the Mayor’s refusal to work with members to get it across the line.
“Even though it serves the purpose of what the Mayor has set out, once again he refuses to work with us. So, I think we need to pause, reflect, understand that there’s a general consensus of support and do it, and do it right. That’s all that people are asking,” Cllr Butler insisted.
“I’m appealing to you here now Mayor, show good compromise, show some leadership and listen to what the chamber are saying,” he added.
After a 50-minute adjournment for a discussion between Mayor Moran and party leaders, it was agreed that a special meeting will take place in two weeks to tease out the issues around recording statutory meetings.